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Fiction. Mystery. Romance. Suspense. HTML:Lieutenant Eve Dallas hunts for the killer of a seemingly ordinary history teacher�??and uncovers some extraordinary surprises�??in this thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series.Eve Dallas doesn�??t like to see innocent people murdered. And the death of history teacher Craig Foster is clearly a murder case. The lunch that his wife lovingly packed was tainted with deadly ricin. And Mr. Foster�??s colleagues, shocked as they may be, have some shocking secrets of their own. It�??s Eve�??s job to get a feel for all the potential suspects�??and find out why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant...so innocent. Someone Eve could easily picture dead is an old flame of her billionaire husband Roarke, who has turned up in New York and manipulated herself back into his life. Consumed by her jealousy�??and Roarke�??s indifference to it�??Eve finds it hard to focus on the Foster case. But when another man turns up dead, she�??ll have to keep in mind that both innocence and guil… (more)
User reviews
It's a good book, I keep enjoying the re-visit to these two and their lives and the involved lives of their friends and the situations they find themselves in.
I figured out early in who the killer was the first time I read it, but it was still
It's no secret that my favorite books in the series are the ones where Eve and Roarke are at odds. But this book...I ached for them. Eve's pain was so stark. I hurt for her. It was a bit strange to see Roarke cast in the role of "typical male". Generally he's wise and perceptive beyond his penis. I think his actions in the book made him more human and easier to relate to.
For the first time, Eve is having a hard time concentrating on an investigation. A woman from Roarke’s past has entered the picture, and it isn’t long before there’s tension between Eve and Roarke and harsh words spoken. Stoic Eve is startled to find herself so emotionally overwrought by this woman and her efforts to create conflict between Eve and Roarke. But she forces her mind on the investigation and what she discovers shocks even the jaded Lt. Dallas.
Robb’s popular series remains a constant bestseller and it isn’t hard to figure out why, with likeable characters and suspenseful plots. The relationship between Dallas and Roarke is a bonus and is explored in-depth in this book. Robb displays talent for drawing the reader into her characters’ angst and despair at the disruption in their marriage. Eve’s and Roarke’s mutual fright over babies is humorous and adds a light note to an otherwise dark mystery.
Now, about the audio production (I listened to this
If you're unfamiliar with this series, you could start here, but I wouldn't recommend it. In brief, Eve Dallas is a New York homicide lieutenant in the year 2060. She's married to the ultra-rich Roarke.
As in most of the In Death books,
Making things even more difficult, Eve can't rely on Roarke's help as much as she usually does, because he's distracted by the reappearance of an ex-lover in his life. Which, in turn, weighs on Eve's mind and distracts her as well.
The problem is that Magdelana isn't just another beautiful bimbo that Roarke slept with. She's The One That Got Away, the one who dumped him for another man. She'd been his partner in crime, in bed, and in his life, until she left him for a mark. And now she wants him back.
On the surface, it's not all that much different from Reeanna Ott from Rapture in Death, but Eve and even Summerset realize she's much more dangerous. Roarke, of course, is a typical oblivious male. He thinks he's got Magdelana under control, and that Eve is just overreacting out of jealousy.
Both plots were very well done, I thought, and though I figured out whodunit before Eve did, it didn't seem too obvious or contrived.
And even though I wanted to thump Roarke on the head a few times, I thought his actions were very true to character--fitting how he's behaved in the past whenever an ex lover (of his, not of Eve's--apparently the double standard is alive and well in 2060, at least in Roarke's mind) has resurfaced. Perversely, I really liked that about this book--sometimes, Roarke can get pretty darn too-perfect-to-be-true, particularly in the relationship arena, and I was glad that, for once, Eve wasn't the one screwing up.
Even better, you can see Eve's growth through the series. She actually turns to her growing circle of friends for advice, something she wouldn't even have considered at the beginning of the series.
Which leads me to the number one reason why this series is on my must-buy list in hardcover. The slow but definite and realistic character growth. In those 24 books, only about 2 years have elapsed, and we've seen distinctly gradual changes in the characters, most notably in Eve, but also in Roarke and their marriage, and in the secondary characters. Because of this, I'd really recommend reading them in order. You can still enjoy them in a random order, but you'd miss out on my favorite part.
My only complaint, and it's not really a complaint, so much as it's an explanation of why this gets 4.5 instead of 5 stars, is that the (let me know if I've mistaken the meanings of these terms) internal and external plots don't really mesh. One of the Amazon reviewers came up with a convoluted reason to connect them, but I didn't agree.
(Spoilers possibly
I love this series (which is old news)! What made this book great was the twist Robb put in this book with Roarke's ex popping up and trying to come into his life once again. We got to see another side of Eve as she tries to deal with this latest piece of Roarke's history. I could of kicked Roarke myself a few times throughout the book as he was being entirely too dense when it came to Eve's feelings. I felt like this really added to the storyline and I didn't want to put this book down. In fact, I was less concerned with the murder that Eve was investigating and more concerned about Eve and Roarke's relationship. The characters in these books really make them great and are the reason why this series is still going strong. I always highly recommend this series but you have to start at the beginning because seeing the characters develop along the way is what makes this series amazing!
Bottom Line: A must read series in my opinion!
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book from a friend who enjoys this series as much as I do.
Initially a borrowed book, but I've bought this as this was a memorable story and one of the easiest to follow,
J D Robb at her finest, may she have many more.
5 Stars
As Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team strive to uncover the truth behind the shocking death of a well-liked teacher, another threat in the form of a former lover from her husband's past strikes closer to home and jeopardizes everything Eve and Roarke have created together.
Innocent in Death is one of the best installments in the series. The mystery surrounding Craig Foster's murder is gripping and the resolution is both horrific and monstrous yet believable at the same time.
The reappearance in Roarke's life of Magdeline Percell has the potential to create an excessive amount of annoying angst. Thankfully, this is kept to a minimum as Eve and Roarke confront the issue straight on, and there is no single moment in the reader's mind that things might not turn out well.
In sum, an excellent read, and it still amazes me that Robb finds new and incredible ways to engross her readers with this series.